Air-moistening device.



J. P HIGH.

AIR MOFSTENING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 14 I914.

Patented May 2,1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

ATTORNEY J. P. HIGH.

AIR MOISTENING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 14. 1914.

Patented May 2,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z- ATTORNEY reams r. men, or rarnvr, on'nano.

A-MOISTENING DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES P. HIGH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fairview, in the county of Major and State of Oklahoma, have invented a new and useful Air-Moistening Device, of which the following is a specification.

- This invention has reference to air moistening devices, and its object is to provide means whereby a circulation of air in a room or other compartment is maintained,

and at the same time the circulating air is humidified to a desired extent. I

In accordance with the present invention means are provided for producing a circulation of air, and as an electric fan is the most convenient device for such purpose, it will be considered throughout the description to follow that the circulation of airis caused by an ordinary electric fan, although it will be understood that any other means for the purpose may be employed, since the invention is not confined to any specific device for causing air currents.

In conjunction with the fan there is provided a rotatable member responsive to the air currents to keep in motion, said rotatable member being substantially upright in operative position so as to turn upon a substantially horizontal axis, and in the path of the lower run of the rotatable member there is provided a receptacle for liquid, usually water. The arrangement is such that as the rotatable member or rotor is slowly driven by air currents directed thereagainst, water gathered during the passage of the lower run of the rotatable member through the water receptacle is caused to spread over the rotor and is subjected to air currents which evaporate the water, thus correspondingly humidifying the air. The rotatable member or rotor is provided with absorbent material which does not hold the water with great tenacity, so that there is'iliability of throwing ofi the water by centrifugal form.

To avoid this contingency there is provided a shield or closure for the rotor, which.

shield may remain. stationary and will arrest anywater thrown off or blown from the rotor, while the shield, being pervious to air currents, permits the latter to be distributed into the room or compartment and any water which may reach the walls of the shield is evaporated and added as a humidifying agent to the air.

The invention will be best understood Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 14, 1914;. Serial No. 850,977.

Patented May 2, 191d.

from a consideration of the following detalled description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of thls specification, with the further understanding that while the drawings show a practical form of the invention, the latter is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings, but may be changed and modified, so long as such changes and modifications mark no material tion on theline 3--8 of Fig. 1 but drawn on a larger scale and showing some parts in elevation. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the liquid receptacle of the device. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section on a larger scale than the other figures of the hub portion of the rotor and the supporting members therefor. Fig. 6is a fragmentary cross-section of the end of the tank designed to support an electric motor. Referring to the drawings there is shown a tank 1 having a top portion 2 which may constitute a permanent part of the tank,

can"

and is provided with a marginal upstanding flange 3. Thetop portion 2 of the tank is provided with lids4, 5, respectively, on opposite sides of an intermediately located elongated slot 6, the latter opening into a chamber 7 divided on from theinterior of the tankby spaced partition walls 8, 9, re-

spectively, these partition walls being each provided with respective perforations 1O,

11, whereby water placed in the tank may find its way'into the chamber 7 The par-- titions 8 and 9 not only form the chambei' 7 but between these respective partitions andthe corresponding end walls of the tank.

other chambers 12, 13 are defined. The

chamber 12 is readilyacoessible through the top 2 by means of the lid 4 and the chamber 13 is readily accessible through the top 2 by means of the lid 5. These lids are each provided with spaced finger holes 14 where-f by the lids are readily manipulated.

. Underriding the lid 5 is a support 15 provided with perforations 16, so that water within the tank may find ready acces'sthereto,.wherefore the presence of the support 15 int does? otmaterially reduce the capacity iof the tank 1.

Both chambers 12 and. 13 are designed to not only receive water, but may have ice placed therein if desirable, and in order that the tank may be drained whenever deemed necessary, a drain cook 17 1S provided.

Erected on the tank 1 and preferably made fast to the partition 9 as a support therefor is a post 18 which at its upper end is provided with an'entering slot 19. Carrled by the post' 18 is'a rod 20 movable into and out of the slot 19 and held in place by a nut 21 on the corresponding end of the rod. Ad acent to the post 18 the rod has fast thereto a disk 22 which may be provided. with a suitable raceway 23 for ball bearings, the balls being indicated at 24. The rod 22 overhangs the slot 6, being directed toward that end of the tank provided with the cover 4. Near that end of the rod 20 remote from the post 18 the rod is provided with another disk 25- having a raceway 26 therein for anti-friction balls 27. It will be understood that the ball bearings thus indicated may be of other types than the particular form shown, so

that in this respect theinvention is not confined to any special type of ball bearings.

Mounted upon the rod '20 between the disks 22 and 25 is a sleeve 28 threaded at opposite endsfor the reception of threaded rings or nuts 29, 30, respectively, the ring or nut 30 having a radially expanded peripheral portion 31 designed to forma bearing for one end of a friction or brake strip 32 made fast to the 0st 18 by a rivet 32 or otherwise and contro led by a thumb screw 34 threaded through the post 18. By this means the sleeve 28 and parts carried thereby may be controlled as to speed of rotation for apurpose to-be described.

' ing all alike except as to diameter. middle spider 36 is made of somewhat The sleeve 28'forms the hub portion of a rotor which in the particular construction 1 shown consistsof three spiders 35, 36 and 37 each usually made of, wire withan inner ring38 and an outer ring 39, the spiders be- The greater diameter than the outerspiders 35 and 37 for apurpose which will appear further on. Each spider is provided with a covering 40 of some absorbent materialmore or less pervious to air, of which cheese cloth latter being engaged by a ring nut 43 threaded upon an appropriate portion of the sleeve '28, so that the hub portions of all the spiders .are firmly clamped together and to the sleeve expanded and covered with cloth or other suitable material, and so presented to the axis of. rotation as to radiate therefrom at an angle thereto, such as is usually assumed by fan blades. With such an arrangement a blast of air directed against the blades 47 tends to rotate the sleeve 28 constituting the hub of the rotor, and the spiders 35, 36 and 37 constituting the main body of the rotor.

The outer or peripheral portions 39 of the spiders are brought into contact one with the other, so that the marginal portions 'of the spiders constituting the rotor are of less axial thickness than the middle or hub portions, and all the spiders of the rotor have the cloth coverings of relatively coarse mesh. The diameter of the rotor is such that when carried by the post 18 the peripheral portion of the rotor enters the tank 1 through the slot 6 and dips into water which at the time ma be therein.

he middle spider being of greater diameter than the outer spiders has its periphery or rim 39 radially extended beyond the corresponding rims of the other spiders, and at suitable intervals the rim 39 of the middle S ider carries small cups 48 so arranged as to ip into water in the tank 1 and lift the water therefrom as the rotor revolves. More or less water is absorbed by the absorbent material during its passage through the water in the tank, and this water is carried by capillary attraction toward the hub portionof the rotor. At the same time water is elevated by the cups 48 and as they reach a high point the water gravitates therefrom, and flows over the cloth covering of the rotor, being thereby distributed toward the hub portion of the rotor.

In order to drive the rotor, and at the same time direct currents of air therethrough and into the room or compartment where it is desired to have humidified air currents,

there is provided an electric fan 49 designed to be sustained by the lid 5 when upheld by the support 15. The fan 49' is to be taken as indicative of any suitable means for producing air currents, an-electric fan being one of the most convenient devices for the purpose. The invention, however, is not confined to the use of an electric fan or the use of an electric fan of any particular type. Since there are many types of electric fans that are suitable for the purpose, it is not considered at all necessary to give any detailed description of the fan, and it is usually only necesrueigee sary to choose an electric fan having the armature on a level with the hub of the rotor of the humidifier, With the electric fan running air currents are directed against the blades 47 and these blades being at a suitable angle to the air currents tend to rotate, thus imparting rotative movements to the rotor of the humidifier, but these rotative movements may be-comparatively slow, so that water is lifted from the tank 1 into the path of the air currents produced by the fan 49, and these air currents passing with considerable freedom through the rotor evaporate the water carried thereby so that the air currents on leaving the rotor distribute through the compartment as more or less humidified air currents. Where it is desired to lower the temperature of the air this may be accomplished by placing ice in the tank 1, such ice being indicated at 4:9 in Figs. 3 and 6, while the water in the tank is indicated at 50 in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

There is liability of the throwing ofi' of water in the watery state from the rotor due at to strong air currents produced by the fan t9, and by centrifugal force when the rotor has sufficient speed; To 'avoid this there is provided a short approximately cylindrical casing 51 which'has a frame 52 of wire or to such suitable material with radial arms 53 terminating in a ring 54 mounted on the rod 20 exterior to the ring 25, the casing being held in place by a nut 55 and washer 56 applied to the outer end of the rod 20.

at One of the arms 53 is made fast to the partition 8, as shown at 57, and the mar- I ginal portions of the wire frame 52 are formed with foot extensions 58 made fast to the cover 2, whereby the shield is rigidly to supported and held against rotation.

at cloth. Any water which may be thrown- The frame 52 has a coverin 59 of suitable tabric, but preferably 0 than the fabric covering the rotor, this tabric extending from the outer margins of the shield to the hub portion of the rotor and also axially along the shield for its axial depth. This leaves what may be termed the rear end of the shield open, while the'front end is closed with comparatively fine mesh from the rotor distributes by capillary attraction over the shield and is readily evaporated by air currents passing through the rotor and causing the rotation of the latter.

at When the electric fan is run at relatively high speed it may impart to the rotor a higher speed of rotation than is desirable, and in such case the brake member 32 is caused to bear with appropriate force against one side face of the marginal portion 31 of the nut 30, the braking force being determined by adjustment of the screw 34. a While air currents are distributed through the room or compartment in which the i humidifying device is located, and are at the finer mesh same time appropriately humidified, the air passing through the humidifier is also cleansed, since any fine particles of dust or the like which may be carried by the air are strained out or held back by the fine mesh covering of the casing or shield, and by the moist'surfaces of the rotor, and hence after the device has been running for a time the air in the room or compartment will be found to be markedly free from floating dust and other particles.

In .theforegoing description it has been assumed that the liquid placed in the tank 1 is ordinary water, but it will be understood that other liquids may be used, or the water may contain materials capable of evaporation, whereby the device may be used to distribute disinfecting vapors or pleasing odors, and it is to be understood that in describing and claiming the apparatus as an air moistener, the use ulness of the structure is not confined solely to the moistening of air with untreated water.

What is claimed is 1. An air moistener or humidifier, comprising a rotor with walls of liquid-absorbent material pervious to air currents and provided with means. for causing it to r0- tate under the action of air currents direct: ed through it, a water tank carrying the rotor and into which said rotor dips, and a casing also on the tank and provided with walls of liquid-absorbent material pervious to air currents and located in the path of the air currents passing through the rotor, portions of the walls of the casing being in peripherally surrounding relation to the rotor to receive water thrown centrifugally from the rotor.

2. An air moistener or humidifier comprising a rotor with walls of liquid-absorbent material pervious to air currents, said rotor also having a series of blades fast thereto with said blades having walls of liquid-absorbent material pervious to air currents and arranged at an angle to the path of the air currents to cause rotation of the rotor, a water tank carrying the rotor and into which said rotor dips, and a casing also on the tank and provided with walls of liquid-absorbent material pervious to air currents, said casing being in surrounding relation to the rotor to receive and absorb water thrown centrifugally therefrom and also having an end wall of liquid-absorbent material pervious to air currents and located in the path of air currents that have traversed the rotor.

3. An air moistener or vhumidifier com prising a rotor with walls of liquid-absorba casing also" on the tank and provided with walls of liquid-absorbent material pervious to air currents, portions of said Walls bee ing located in the path of the air currents passing throughthe rotor, and other portions vbeing in surrounding relation to the rotor, to-catch Water thrown'centrifugally from the rotor, and the liquid-absorbent 7 Walls of the casing being of finer mesh than those-of the rotor.

, 4. An air moistener or humidifier comprisinga rotor and a casing containing the onl th e tank to enter the latter through the aopening and dip in liquid therein, said rotor being rotatable under the action of air currents and having walls of liquid-absorbent material pervious to the air currents, and a fabric casing for the rotor peripherally surrounding the latter and having one end closed by fabric, said tank being of a size to support an electric motor in position to direct air streams against the rotor on the side thereof remote from the closed end of the fabric casing, and said tank being also divided interiorly into compartments for inclosing a cooling medium for liquid within the tank with said cooling medium out of the path of the rotor where dipping into the tank.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES P. HIGH.

Witnesses:

J. S. BERGTHOLD, G. B. WARD. 

